PPA Today: PPA Member Alert Archives

Recently in PPA Member Alert Category

Every so often, PPA realizes its exemplary members need to be recognized in ways that they haven't yet been. With that being said, the Board of Directors has created a new accolade that honors PPA members who give back to the industry through teaching.

The new EDU100 bar will be awarded for every 100 speaking merits a member has earned. The first round of recipients is being notified and awarded December 2017.

Since 1937, PPA's Merit & Degree program has provided its members with a path to earning a PPA degree that vets, recognizes and celebrates their achievements in the profession. Merits are the points-system used by PPA that adds up to getting one's photographic degree. Each degree requires 25 merits that are obtained through exhibition, competition, speaking, and service, and each degree requires a different combination of merits.

The Merit & Degree program is an exclusive PPA member benefit, so click here to learn more about earning your degree. Ready to get started but you're not a member? Join PPA Now!

If you're looking for a way to give back to your peers and do something positive for those affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, PPA and PPA Charities have established the Disaster Relief Fund grant program.

It's unimaginable to lose everything to flooding. Over 800 PPA members have been directly affected by these storms, some not even knowing yet what shape their studios are in or how much of their equipment was destroyed.

Please give to help photographers in Texas, Florida and elsewhere rebuild their studios, businesses and lives. Every bit helps, and PPA is matching your donations (up to $100,000) to ensure the funds stretch even further.

You never know what you'll find out about on theLoop, PPA's members-only social network. Recently, PPA member David Bailey, M.Photog., CPP, of Colorado Springs, shared info we figured deserved another push... and a big THANK YOU!

InterDrone, the biggest Drone Conference and Expo in the country is coming to Las Vegas, September 6-8, 2017! We know from the response to our Drone Zone at Imaging USA last year that drones are currently the hottest addition to a successful photography business. Now you can experience a conference devoted to all things drone... certainly some inspiration you may want to pick up if you're considering becoming a PPA Certified Drone Photographer... which David Bailey also just did!

InterDrone will feature information for builders, buyers, and flyers of commercial drones, technical classes, an expo hall with the "Yes-Fly Zone" drone demo area, expert speakers, and other special events. InterDrone's expo will feature more than 185 unmanned system manufacturers and sellers. The full commercial drone conference features more than 120 panels, sessions, classes and drone workshops. Justin Moore, PPA's first Drone Certified Photographer, is also a speaker at InterDrone!

If you register by August 25th, there is a discount available! David asked for and received another 15% discount for PPA members, so just use the discount code PHOTO when you register! Visit www.interdrone.com for more information.

If you're interested in In-Person Sales (IPS), but feel overwhelmed or confused by the process, this webinar is for you! Instructors Rachael Boer and Dorie Howell break down this topic into simple, easy-to-understand steps, and help you learn how to find success with this business model. They will cover topics like:

What is IPS?

Common fears and hesitations

How do I start?

Overcoming objections

The transition

Purchasing samples, software, and other tools

How to prepare your clients

Avoiding sticker shock

Setting and enforcing policies

Helping indecisive clients

Running the sale

and more!

This webinar is FREE and open to both PPA members and non-members alike, so register now and tune in tomorrow, June 15, 2017, at 2:00 pm ET!

PPA members are always making and saving more money with their membership. Now, you can continue taking advantage of preferred pricing on the world's most popular and advanced operating systems: Apple products and accessories.

Discounts on business equipment are part of the list of benefits offered to the 30,000 photographers who rely on PPA for perks and savings. Apple Association Member Purchase Program perks include:

Preferred pricing on Apple products

Special promotions

Complimentary shipping on all orders

Free engraving on all new iPod and iPad models

Mac customization

Ratings and reviews on accessories and software

Members can purchase or sponsor up to three computer systems, three iPads, three iPhones, three Apple watches and ten iPod devices per calendar year, as well as software and peripherals. Members can begin using the offer by visiting the website or by calling 1-800-854-3680 and requesting the Association Member Program pricing.

The program is a benefit provided by Apple Inc. to members of PPA and other participating organizations. The program is intended for personal use. Under this program, Apple sells and ships products to end-user customers only. Apple reserves the right to refuse or cancel any order if they suspect it is being purchased for resale.

"PPA is always looking for ways to help improve our members' businesses," says Kristen Hartman, Director of Member Value & Experience. "This Apple program is a valued benefit to the photographers who rely on PPA to help run their studios. We're so pleased to announce we're renewing the program and keeping our members happy."

Head over to BeMore.PPA.com/MakeMore to learn about all the ways you can save and make more money with your PPA membership!

James Yates is an Atlanta-based writer/actor and the Communications Specialist at Professional Photographers of America (PPA). A graduate of Georgia State University, James has worked in the non-profit sector his whole life and is proud to be able to help artists achieve their goals. In his spare time he can be found walking his dogs on the Beltline or partaking in the nightly theater and comedy scene in the ATL.

Good news, PPA members...you can now take advantage of savings on Dell products and accessories.

Discounts on business equipment are already part of your PPA list-of-benefits offered and now, Dell is offering year-round savings every day of 5%-10% on selected products, plus special monthly savings of 20% on select products.

Dell discount perks include savings on:

PowerEdge Servers

Dell Precision Workstations

OptiPlex Desktops

Latitude Laptops

XPS and Inspirion PCs

Dell monitors

Dell Electronics and Accessories

...and more!

"The Dell discount program is just one more way that PPA works to support working photographers," says Kristen Hartman, PPA's Director of Member Value and Experience. "We're always looking for ways to help improve our members' businesses. This Dell program is a valued benefit to the photographers who rely on PPA to help run their studios. We're so pleased to announce this partnership."

You can redeem the offers by logging into the Member Discounts section of PPA.com! If ordering by phone, you should mention PPA to get your association discounts.

Typically, the "From" address is not a standard UPS/FedEx format email address. Or, there will be letter substitutions such as "O" for "0" or "1" for "I" in the email address. In the message body, hover your mouse over the tracking number link and the true web address is revealed - if it's not ups.com or fedex.com, then it's fake.

What happens if I click on it?

If you click on the message link, it could encrypt the entire contents of your hard drive and possibly spread to any shared network you're on. Encrypted files are unrecoverable.

What if I already clicked on it?

You may or may not see anything happening right away, but if the response you get is unexpected--act quickly! Unplug the internet cable from your laptop or PC, reboot your computer, clear your cache and run a virus scan as soon as possible. Even if it is a false alarm, you've done no harm - so don't react too slowly to a perceived threat.

Sometimes in order to get to your final destination, there are a few things that need to be done along the way. This is one of those things. PPA has been concentrating on Copyright Small Claims lately, but there's a bill in the House of Representatives that needs our attention now!

H.R 1695 allows the position of Register of Copyrights to become a presidential appointee. This ensures that someone with ample knowledge of the copyright world leads the office in an unbiased manner, as it begins to undergo the modernization process. This change will also guarantee the office is able to serve all creative artists the way it was designed to. Making sure the office takes a step in the right direction will not be possible without YOU!

Please take 30 seconds and click here to send a letter to your representative or click here to give them a call! PPA has done the scripting and writing for you, so no worries. It's time to pass this legislation!

UPDATE:

Since we have put out this call to action, certain districts across the country have called saying they are unable to send a letter or make a call to their representatives. This is because their district currently does not have a representative and we are waiting for the results of their special elections. The following is a list of states/districts that are going to be affected by this, and the dates of the elections:

Special Elections (House)

Kansas 4th District- just had elections on April 11th and will take some time to set up office and contact information.

Entire State of Montana- Only has one representative and their election is on May 25th

California 34th District- Just had election April 4th and will take some time to set up office and contact information

H.B 1695 has passed the House Judiciary Committee today! It pass with 27 yeas and 1 nay. Remember, this bill is proposing to make the Register of Copyrights a presidential appointee.

PPA fully supports this since we were shocked by the abrupt termination of Maria Pallante. This is a great first step towards insuring that the Copyright Office is on the right path to modernization and continues to include small creators.

The bill will be presented to the House for a full vote soon.

11:23 a.m.

We are currently sitting in a house judiciary hearing (pictured, with portraits of Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Ranking member John Conyers) about making the Register of Copyrights a presidential appointee. This part of the process is called a markup. During this "markup" all Representatives (those who support, are against, sponsored or any other stance) can submit their input and recommend changes. This ensures that the bill is properly debated and can pass when it is presented to the full house.

Stayed tuned for more updates and a preview of Chairman Goodlatte (R-VA)'s comments about the bill!

9:45 a.m.

This is day two for PPA on Capitol Hill and things are going great!

Yesterday evening, we met with Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID). This was our first time meeting with him and it was important to get his office up to speed about small claims and why it's so important to photographers. Rep Labrador's office showed a lot of interest in the bill since they are strong supporters of small businesses. They have asked us to keep them updated about the bill and we hope they will sign on when time comes.

After talking about small claims, we briefly talked about the Register of Copyright position becoming a presidential appointee. We found out that Representative Labrador is a co-sponsor of that bill. Upon hearing this, we wanted to take the time to thank him and his efforts to protect the copyright office.

After meeting with Representative Labrador, we ended the day meeting with Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL)'s office. This was another first time meeting, but an important one, since she was recently asked to join the Judiciary Committee by Speaker Paul Ryan. This meeting went well, as we explained the intricacies of the small claims bill. Once again, we hope when times comes she will support small claims!

For the rest of today...we are doing things a little differently. We had a full day of meetings lined up. However, as we all know, things can change at the drop of a hat on Capitol Hill. Instead we are attending the bill markup of turning the Register of Copyrights into a presidential appointee. This will allow us to hear first-hand what changes are being made to the bill and also allows us to meet with Representatives and staffers.

Stay tuned for more updates!

And check out this morning's Facebook Live update (the screen alignment is fixed after the first 30 seconds or so!) with CEO David Trust and Government Affairs Coordinator Sidra Safri.

3/28/17

5:15 p.m.

It's been another fantastic day on Capitol Hill for PPA and Small Claims!

Things started off at lunch with Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). Representative Blackburn gave great insight into how important copyright and IP issues are to many members of congress and how she fully understands where PPA is coming from. Being from Nashville, she knows the importance of protecting creative artists and will certainly look into Small Claims when the time comes.

During this lunch Rep. Blackburn also shared how upset she was when Maria Pallante was dismissed from the copyright office and is interested-- like much of congress-- to see how the bill suggests to turn the position into a presidential appointment.

After lunch with Blackburn we met with Representative Mike Bishop (R-MI). This meeting was the first time PPA has met with this office. During this meeting it was clear that Representative Bishop's office understands that copyright law currently is flawed and knows that something needs to be done. His office is interested in seeing the small claims bill and we hope that his office will support small claims and go on to become a co-sponsor.

Once we left Representative Bishop's office we went to go visit Representative Lieu (D-CA)'s office. Representative Lieu has worked closely with Representative Chu on various items through the Judiciary committee and we hope he will sign on as well. During this time we also had the opportunity to talk about modernizing the copyright office as well as the introduction of the recent bill to make the registrar a presidential appointment.

We have two more meetings today and we hope that they go as well as all of our earlier ones did. Stay tuned!

9:00 a.m.

Good morning everyone!

PPA is off to Washington D.C. again to continue laying the groundwork for small claims. We have a jam packed day ahead.

The main purpose of this trip is to continue bringing attention to the Freedom for American Small Creators Act (the small claims bill) and highlight why this is so important to creative artists, especially photographers. Since the bill has not been reintroduced yet (but it will be soon!), PPA hopes many of the representatives we talk to will be willing to co-sponsor the bill when time comes.

Stay tuned for more updates after our meetings with your representatives.

The Business Challenge provides photography business owners with the information and tools they need to develop the foundation for a more profitable business over the course of one year. Not only do they receive the tools required to make changes to their business, but also step-by-step instruction and support from PPA mentors as they implement these changes.

The next Business Challenge starts April 1st and you don't want to miss it! Be sure to sign up for your year of fun, interactive inspiration for you to integrate as much business acumen as you can in one year's time.

The first assignment is all about defining YOUR idea of success. It's vital that photographers begin creating a roadmap that will take them where they want to go so they don't end up somewhere else completely.

"Something I hear often," says Angela Kurkian, Education Director and moderator of the Business Challenge, "is this concept that helps people dismiss the idea that they should be profitable...the concept that success and money don't go hand-in-hand, as if accepting money for your craft were a bad thing. Should artists only make enough to pay the bills'? I don't think that's true."

Here's an example comment from a participant:

"I feel that many tie success with money. There are so many other facets to success. Don't get me wrong - I am not anti-money, I just want to make enough to pay my bills. I want to be able to have a balanced work/personal life balance. I shoot lots of events and sports. One of my schools is one that has been ignored by many because it is a lower income school. The impact that I have on these students make it all worth it. They are so excited that someone will take the time to really care about them."

And here was Kurkian's response:

"Right on! I appreciate that sentiment completely; we can't be so focused on our wallets that we lose sight of how it feels to give of our gift. I also appreciate that you choose to give to a lower income school. You're right; those schools don't get enough attention from local businesses because they become known as 'lower income schools'. I have also learned that the more profitable I am, the more room I have in my schedule to give to those who would benefit from what I can offer. It's a two sided coin. It's that concept of putting the oxygen mask on yourself first, before attending to those you're helping. I admire you greatly and hope we can help you to develop and sustain an even more profitable level so that you can continue to give as you do."

For some, success is having the agency to be able to give back to others. For others, success may be the ability to take that yearly vacation. And for some, it may be a more existential definition. The concept of "defining success" leads to many great discussions on the PPA Business Challenge (like this great answer we shared last week).